Why Do Lynx Have Short Tails? Unveiling the Secrets of Cat Tail Length!
Why Do Lynx Have Short Tails? Unveiling the Secrets of Cat Tail Length!
Have you ever wondered why other cats have long tails, but lynxes have such short tails? This seemingly simple difference hides the secrets of the evolutionary history of felids.
The lynx genus includes four members: Eurasian lynx, Canadian lynx, Iberian lynx, and bobcat. They all have short tails, which is unique among all felines. For example, the clouded leopard is about 90 centimeters long, with a tail up to 80 centimeters long, while the Canadian lynx has a tail only 10 centimeters long, which seems a bit comical compared to its massive body.
The Function of Cat Tails
To solve the riddle of the lynx's short tail, we must first understand the function of cat tails.
Many people believe that cat tails are related to climbing trees. The more you climb trees, the longer your tail, and the longer your tail, the better your climbing skills. However, this is not the case. Cats climb trees mainly by relying on sharp claws and limbs, and the length of the tail does not affect their climbing ability. Except for cheetahs whose claws can't retract completely, making them blunter, and lions and tigers who can't climb trees easily due to their weight, other felines are basically excellent climbers, and the short-tailed lynx is no exception. Scientists have found that lynxes often climb up to 20-meter tall trees, and sometimes even sleep there.
The true function of a cat's tail is to maintain balance. Therefore, cats that need to maintain balance often have longer tails.
Long-Tailed Cats: The Art of Balance
Arboreal cats, such as clouded leopards, clouded leopards, and margay, often jump on branches, so they need long tails to maintain balance.
Especially the clouded leopard, with a body length of half a meter, has a tail more than half a meter long, even longer than its body. It is the feline with the longest tail in proportion (tail length and body length).
Clouded leopard, body length one meter, tail length 80cm (tail length = body length 80%).
Margay, body length 55cm, tail length 40cm (tail length = body length 70%).
Climbing cats, such as snow leopards and Andean mountain cats, often move on cliffs and also need long tails to maintain balance.
Snow leopard, body length one meter one, tail length 90cm (tail length = body length 80%).
Andean mountain cat, body length 60cm, tail length 40cm (tail length = body length 67%).
In addition, those large felines that need to run at high speeds, such as cheetahs, mountain lions, and tigers, also have long tails because they need long tails to maintain balance when running at high speeds, especially when turning sharply. But they don't need tails as long as arboreal and climbing cats, and their tails are usually only slightly longer than half their body length.
The Short Tail of the Lynx: Evolution and Adaptation
So why do lynxes have such short tails?
As mentioned earlier, the tail mainly acts as a balance bar. Although lynxes are also good climbers, they don't move laterally on branches as often as clouded leopards, so maintaining balance while climbing trees is not particularly important.
In addition, the main prey of lynxes is rabbits, which are relatively small, agile, and able to dodge. Lynxes can't catch them by speed alone, so they mainly catch rabbits through a series of pounces and jumps. Once they miss, they will pounce several times, usually hitting 10 times and chasing about 20 meters to catch their prey. If they can't catch it, the lynx will have to give up.
So for lynxes, what matters is their hearing and jumping ability, so they have long ears with an antenna at the tip of each ear; they also have long legs and well-developed thigh muscles.
Balance ability is not that important, so long tails are not that useful, so they have degenerated.
The Influence of Eating Rabbits?
Some say that lynxes have short tails because they love to eat rabbits, which is a joke, but perhaps not completely baseless. There is a clear trend: the more rabbits you eat, the shorter your tail.
The Canadian lynx, which eats only rabbits, has a shorter tail than the other three "lynxes" that eat a mixed diet, longer hind legs, and can also catch young deer besides rabbits.
The tail length of the other three lynxes is one-fifth of their body length, while the tail length of the Canadian lynx is only one-tenth of their body length.
Short Tails of Caracal and Serval
Besides lynxes, there are two other cats with long ears, long legs, and short tails, the caracal and the serval. They also prey on small and agile animals such as rabbits and mice. They hunt by hearing and catch prey by jumping, so their tails have also degenerated.
Unresolved Mystery: The Secret of Genes
The above are my personal speculations based on available data, but they seem insufficient to explain why lynxes have such short tails. Because according to the above analysis, a slightly longer tail would not be harmful to lynxes, but it doesn't seem to have any disadvantages either.
We also have another conjecture.
We've observed that short tails in modern cats are always accompanied by long hind legs, and some short-tailed domestic cat breeds have a tendency for longer hind legs.
So we wonder if the genes that shorten cat tails are related to the genes that lengthen hind legs? Is the shortened tail of lynxes and caracals simply a byproduct of lengthening hind legs to enhance jumping ability?
In 2016, scientists at Peking University found that there are at least three genes that can shorten cat tails. But it is unclear which one would cause the hind legs to lengthen at the same time.
In conclusion, why lynxes have such short tails remains an unresolved question. Our team has reported our thoughts to scientists at Peking University, and I believe they can find the exact answer.
Have you ever wondered why other cats have long tails, but lynxes have such short tails? This seemingly simple difference hides the secrets of the evolutionary history of felids.
The lynx genus includes four members: Eurasian lynx, Canadian lynx, Iberian lynx, and bobcat. They all have short tails, which is unique among all felines. For example, the clouded leopard is about 90 centimeters long, with a tail up to 80 centimeters long, while the Canadian lynx has a tail only 10 centimeters long, which seems a bit comical compared to its massive body.
The Function of Cat Tails
To solve the riddle of the lynx's short tail, we must first understand the function of cat tails.
Many people believe that cat tails are related to climbing trees. The more you climb trees, the longer your tail, and the longer your tail, the better your climbing skills. However, this is not the case. Cats climb trees mainly by relying on sharp claws and limbs, and the length of the tail does not affect their climbing ability. Except for cheetahs whose claws can't retract completely, making them blunter, and lions and tigers who can't climb trees easily due to their weight, other felines are basically excellent climbers, and the short-tailed lynx is no exception. Scientists have found that lynxes often climb up to 20-meter tall trees, and sometimes even sleep there.
The true function of a cat's tail is to maintain balance. Therefore, cats that need to maintain balance often have longer tails.
Long-Tailed Cats: The Art of Balance
Arboreal cats, such as clouded leopards, clouded leopards, and margay, often jump on branches, so they need long tails to maintain balance.
Especially the clouded leopard, with a body length of half a meter, has a tail more than half a meter long, even longer than its body. It is the feline with the longest tail in proportion (tail length and body length).
Clouded leopard, body length one meter, tail length 80cm (tail length = body length 80%).
Margay, body length 55cm, tail length 40cm (tail length = body length 70%).
Climbing cats, such as snow leopards and Andean mountain cats, often move on cliffs and also need long tails to maintain balance.
Snow leopard, body length one meter one, tail length 90cm (tail length = body length 80%).
Andean mountain cat, body length 60cm, tail length 40cm (tail length = body length 67%).
In addition, those large felines that need to run at high speeds, such as cheetahs, mountain lions, and tigers, also have long tails because they need long tails to maintain balance when running at high speeds, especially when turning sharply. But they don't need tails as long as arboreal and climbing cats, and their tails are usually only slightly longer than half their body length.
The Short Tail of the Lynx: Evolution and Adaptation
So why do lynxes have such short tails?
As mentioned earlier, the tail mainly acts as a balance bar. Although lynxes are also good climbers, they don't move laterally on branches as often as clouded leopards, so maintaining balance while climbing trees is not particularly important.
In addition, the main prey of lynxes is rabbits, which are relatively small, agile, and able to dodge. Lynxes can't catch them by speed alone, so they mainly catch rabbits through a series of pounces and jumps. Once they miss, they will pounce several times, usually hitting 10 times and chasing about 20 meters to catch their prey. If they can't catch it, the lynx will have to give up.
So for lynxes, what matters is their hearing and jumping ability, so they have long ears with an antenna at the tip of each ear; they also have long legs and well-developed thigh muscles.
Balance ability is not that important, so long tails are not that useful, so they have degenerated.
The Influence of Eating Rabbits?
Some say that lynxes have short tails because they love to eat rabbits, which is a joke, but perhaps not completely baseless. There is a clear trend: the more rabbits you eat, the shorter your tail.
The Canadian lynx, which eats only rabbits, has a shorter tail than the other three "lynxes" that eat a mixed diet, longer hind legs, and can also catch young deer besides rabbits.
The tail length of the other three lynxes is one-fifth of their body length, while the tail length of the Canadian lynx is only one-tenth of their body length.
Short Tails of Caracal and Serval
Besides lynxes, there are two other cats with long ears, long legs, and short tails, the caracal and the serval. They also prey on small and agile animals such as rabbits and mice. They hunt by hearing and catch prey by jumping, so their tails have also degenerated.
Unresolved Mystery: The Secret of Genes
The above are my personal speculations based on available data, but they seem insufficient to explain why lynxes have such short tails. Because according to the above analysis, a slightly longer tail would not be harmful to lynxes, but it doesn't seem to have any disadvantages either.
We also have another conjecture.
We've observed that short tails in modern cats are always accompanied by long hind legs, and some short-tailed domestic cat breeds have a tendency for longer hind legs.
So we wonder if the genes that shorten cat tails are related to the genes that lengthen hind legs? Is the shortened tail of lynxes and caracals simply a byproduct of lengthening hind legs to enhance jumping ability?
In 2016, scientists at Peking University found that there are at least three genes that can shorten cat tails. But it is unclear which one would cause the hind legs to lengthen at the same time.
In conclusion, why lynxes have such short tails remains an unresolved question. Our team has reported our thoughts to scientists at Peking University, and I believe they can find the exact answer.
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